nevada history Archives

Casino History Casino: Stock Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Jerry's Nugget (North Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Taking Stock

1974 The Nevada Gaming Commission, the industry’s state regulatory body, amended regulations to allow employees to own stock in a casino where they worked, without having to get a gambling license, a process that involved…

Bank Club (Reno, NV) Cal-Neva Lodge (Lake Tahoe, NV) Casino History Country Club (Reno, NV) Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Gambling Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Grafting Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Harassment / Intimidation Elmer "Bones" F. Remmer Gambling History Gaming History George Wingfield Haymarket (Reno, NV) It Really Happened Jack Sullivan / John D. Scarlett James "Jim/Cinch" C. McKay Monte Carlo (Reno, NV) Nathan "Nick" Abelman Nevada Reno--Nevada The Big Casino (Tonopah, NV) United States William "Bill/Curly" J. Graham Willows (Reno, NV)

Mob That Controlled Early Reno Gambling: Who, How

1920s-1930s Presumably to gain money, power and notoriety, two men controlled gambling in Reno, Nevada during the 1920s and 1930s through violence, payoffs, intimidation, threats and other gangster techniques. The industry mostly was illegal, with…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts Reno--Nevada United States

Quick Fact - Curiosity Trumps Motherhood

1931 When a Southern Pacific train stopped in Reno on a Friday in May at about 9:15 p.m., four passengers disembarked to squeeze in, before continuing on, a glance at gambling, which Nevada recently had…

Casino History Gambling History Gambling License Gambling: Fines Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas, NV) It Really Happened Las Vegas Strip / S. Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Ralph Engelstad United States

Casino Owner's Offense Embarrasses Nevada

1988-1989 Tipped off by the contents of various lawsuits and complaints by employees, Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) agents raided the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino* on September 27, 1988. The 2,700-room property located on…

Boulder Club (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Clara Bow Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling Did You Know? Gambling History Gambling: Debt Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Louis Cornero Meadows (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Quick Facts Rex Bell Tony Cornero / Antonio Cornero Stralla United States

Quick Fact - The Hard Way or the Easy Way

1931-1932 Actors Clara Bow and Rex Bell gambled at the Meadows in Las Vegas in summer 1931 and racked up a $1,100 loss (about $18,000 today), for which they left an IOU. By December, the…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Tax Evasion Gambling History Gambling License Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Internal Revenue Service Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board Harvey A. Gross It Really Happened Lake Tahoe--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Stateline--Nevada United States Wagon Wheel Saloon and Gambling Hall / Harvey's Wagon Wheel / Harvey's Resort Hotel (Stateline, NV)

8 Twists in Tahoe Gambler's Court Case

1957-1960 In June 1957, a federal grand jury secretly indicted the owners of the Wagon Wheel Saloon and Gambling Hall (Harvey’s today) at Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada — Harvey A. Gross, and his wife, Llewellyn…

Casino History Did You Know? El Rey Club (Searchlight, NV) Gambling History Gambling: Charters Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts Searchlight--Nevada United States Willie Martello

Quick Fact - Desert Getaway

1961 This ad for the El Rey Club invited people to escape one sunny desert town (Palm Springs, California) for another (Searchlight, Nevada), as the enticement ran in the former’s newspaper, The Desert Sun. Owner Willie Martello began…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Assaults Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Extortion Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder / Killing Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting Gambling History Gaming History Horseshoe Club / Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel (Las Vegas, NV) It Really Happened John "Johnny" W. Hicks Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Thunderbird (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Dangerous Liaisons in Sin City

1972-1977 A $25,000 ($146,000 today) offer for the murder of 27-year-old John “Johnny” W. Hicks had been circulated, it was rumored throughout Las Vegas in mid-1972. The son of Marion B. Hicks, previous owner of…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts Reno--Nevada United States

Quick Fact - Bygone Courtesy

1919 Outside many of Reno’s gambling saloons were benches, on which club-goers, typically men, whether or not they’d been gambling, were welcome to sleep the night. (At that time, some forms of gambling were legal…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting Desert Inn (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Clark County Sheriff's Office--Nevada Nevada United States

Catching an Impromptu Show in Vegas

1958 Tourists Robert and Lola McDurmon may or may not have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, depending on how you look at it. After taking in four shows on the Las…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Politicians / Politics: U.S. President John F. Kennedy Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Pall of Mourning

1963 On the Monday after then President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Las Vegas casinos went dark for 17 hours, from 7 a.m. to midnight, in his honor. Along with the gaming rooms in all of…